Chapter 10 – Something Amiss

"What?! You got another one to see me?!"

"Yes, but the poor dear has travelled a long way to see you."

"Well send her away. I don't want to see another girl."

"I know." He walked over to Toshiro and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just humour her. Then you can reject her like you did all the other ones!"

"Really father, should you be saying such things?"

"Why? Is that not what you wanted to hear?"

"...Thank you."

Toshiro walked out of his father's study and down the halls. It was midday and the sun was shining nicely through the many windows that lined the hallway. His father had arranged a meeting for him with another potential bride tomorrow. This time it was the princess of a neighbouring country. What did it matter though? He wouldn't fall head over heels for her. The poor thing was just going to get dismissed just like the rest of them.

He stopped in front of one of the large windows that overlooked a section of the gardens. He could see the twin mermaid fountain, the water spilling out of their cupped hands. A nice brick path went around it and spilt off into four directions. The flower patches in this area all contained lilies of every variety.

He saw Momo walk down one of the paths and sit on the edge of the fountain, twirling a delicate tiger-lily between her fingers. She stopped and held the flower in both hands, lifting it up to her face and inhaling the sweet fragrance. When she looked up she saw him looking out at her. She lowered the flower and gave him a warm smile and wave, both of which he returned.

A dull light glowed in the otherwise dark hallway. It glowed brighter and soon Momo turned a corner, holding the source of the light; a petit eight-paned oil lamp. She silently slipped down the hallway, a hand slightly covering the lamp. Tobiume padded alongside her.

"What are you doing up this late?" she quietly asked.

Momo stopped and looked down at the pink dog, informing her that she couldn't sleep. Unnecessary panic was bubbling through her tonight. When she laid her head down on her pillow, she received a vivid flashback of the sea witch's deal. Her dark voice drilled into her mind, forcing her to replay her words over and over again. She clearly visualised those purple lips saying "you will die". Fear got the better of her and she needed to calm down.

She reached the library doors and pushed it open just enough to be able to slip in. There were two levels, each filled to the brim with every kind of book imaginable and connected with a classical spiral staircase. Sofas and coffee tables were spread here and there and there were several fireplaces, some with heads of animals mounted above. It had such a warm, homey feeling.

Momo gazed at the plush red loveseat that just four days ago she and Toshiro sat upon. He led her in here and showed her books that she might enjoy, shyly grabbing her hand so she would not get lost. They each came back to the sofa with a stack of books and spent an enjoyable afternoon reading and stealing glances at the other. Momo recognised little to none of the strange words, but took interest in them nonetheless; they were vastly different from the pictographic system the merpeople employed. It was strange, how the humans choose to write using the boring, blocky words rather than the elegant curves and loops of Meridian.

Some time later, a maid had come in with a tray of fleshy pink fruit that Momo did not know the name of. She had tentatively took a bite and realised that she had liked the taste. She took a second, more energetic bite and bit into something hard. Forgetting lady like etiquette, she immediately spat it out. The lone black seed hit Toshiro on the face and he looked annoyed for the briefest of moments before bombarding her with his own pips. Many became stuck in little openings in the books, sofa and under the carpet. They took to flicking the seeds, starting an impromptu contest to see who could make them fly the furthest. Toshiro had built up some power in his fingers and gave the last seed an almighty flick. It whizzed through the air and hit the king, who had just come through the door. They resisted the urge to laugh at the sight of the wide-eyed king with a makeshift black bindi.

Walking over to the loveseat, Momo picked up a book from her pile that was still there and sat down. It was an artbook depicting all kinds of mythical creatures. As she flicked through the book, a certain calmness washed over her when she noticed most of the creatures were drawn as pairs. On one page a pair of phoenixes were soaring up into the skies and on another a pair of unicorns were bending down to drink from a lake. Even the picture of a dragon, a normally solitary creature, was graced with the presence of another.

Momo was soon lulled into a peaceful sleep. The book laid besides her, still open. A breeze blew in from the small opening in the window, flipping the delicate pages. As the wind ceased, one last page was turned, slowly settling down. How perfect that that page should depict a human and mermaid reaching out to one another with love in their eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll only be a minute."

Toshiro had a hand on the door leading into the main hallway and Momo had a hand on his sleeve. Her eyes were asking him where he was going. Today was the day he was supposed to meet with the princess of the neighbouring country. And he intended to take only a minute doing so, maybe even less. Momo nodded and Toshiro pushed the door open. However Momo didn't leave. She made sure there was a tiny crack in which she could peer through.

"Nothing will happen Momo," Tobiume tried to reassure her. But she herself was worried. The thunderstorm that struck today somehow seemed ominous.

Toshiro glanced up at the large clock on the wall. The princess was going to arrive at three sharp; there was a minute left. He then looked up at the roof as if he could see the rain pattering down on it. The storm had started in the morning and hadn't let up since. He wondered it would impede the princess's journey.

When the clock struck three, the front door opened and the princess walked in, flanked by two guards dressed in black and a tabby cat. The tabby was walking with its head and tail held high in an extremely arrogant manner. Contrary to the usual browns and greys of a normal tabby cat, this one was pitch black with royal purple stripes. Its piercing scarlet eyes were almond shaped, and tapered to a fine point; it was obviously a female.

Toshiro's eyes widened a bit and he wondered if he was seeing things. The princess looked almost exactly like Momo. But there were subtle differences; her hair was more straight, her face more angular and the most notable difference, her eyes did not shine like Momo's. They were devoid of any life. It was as if they were just there, just there to fill in the spaces.

She looked straight ahead, never once taking her eyes away from him. However, that stare was far from awkward or intimidating or whatever people felt when they stared at each other for a long time. Looking at the girl was like looking at a wall; just there. She offered Toshiro the briefest of curtsies.

"Pleased to meet you Toshiro Hitsugaya," she said monotonously.

Even her voice was similar to Momo's, though not quite. Momo's hands gripped the side of the door. Toshiro was not dismissing her yet! Why?! She bit her lips and started to get anxious. Toshiro stared at the girl standing in front of him and finally found his voice.

"You're the girl who saved me."

Oh, Toshiro's not thinking straight! But yay! The plot picks up! Lol, well please drop by a review, thank you! They are greatly appreciated! Thank you to everyone who took the time to review Chapter 9.

Oh and "Meridian" - Yeah, just the name I used for mer-text. Now humans and merpeople speak the same language, it's just written differently. Haha, confusing but it's easier for the story plot!